These Are the Words
by nighttimerunner
Summary: A collection of unrelated one shots, with no regular updating schedule. Chapter 5: Castle has special plans for their honeymoon.
1. All I Ask

**A/N: This is what happens when I listen to Adele on repeat for three weeks. ;) Thank you Dia for the superb beta-services again. *mwah***

 **An AU insert for 2x05 - "When the Bough Breaks". Let's pretend the book party wasn't until after they'd caught the killer. This story takes place the night before the party.**

 **Disclaimer: Don't own them.**

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 _It matters how this ends_

' _Cause what if I never love again?_

All I Ask - Adele

"Hi Beck-"

She's on him as soon as he opens the door, capturing his face between her hands and tasting the rest of his greeting straight from his mouth. She traces his lips with the tip of her tongue, requesting entrance at the same time as her body pushes his further into the loft. She moans her approval when his hands land on her waist, the touch warming even through her clothes, and his lips part to grant her access.

She's lost count of how many times they've slept together since the Tisdale case, yet the first slide of his tongue against hers never fails to melt her.

One of her hands reaches blindly behind her, groping in air a few times before connecting with the door. Not interested in giving the nosy lady across the hall any more of a show than they already have, she swings the door closed. As soon as the resulting slam echoes in the loft, she grabs for his shirt, pulling it free from the waistband of his slacks.

Yearning for the heat of his skin, she slips her hands under his dress shirt, spreading them against his back. His fingers flex at her waist, the tips pressing into the flesh of her ass, and she parts from the heaven of his lips on a groan. But instead of pulling her closer against him, like he usually does, he's pushing her away.

She resists, refuses to yield to the pressure he's applying, trailing her mouth down towards his throat instead. But when her teeth scrape the scruff on his chin, his hands come up to cradle her head. Tangling his fingers in her hair, he gently tugs until her lips detach from his skin.

"Kate, wha-"

Whatever he meant to say gets cut off when she covers his mouth with hers again, ignoring the pinch in her scalp. She nips at his lips, sharp little bites, and some twisted part of her is satisfied at his gasp of pain.

He has no right to call her that. Not when he's leaving her for someone else.

A snide voice at the back of her mind points out that she shouldn't care, that she has no claim on him. It reminds her that she'd been more than happy to agree on the 'no feelings' rule they'd set for their arrangement.

She blocks out the voice by focusing on the way his groan of pleasure reverberates through him as she invades his mouth again with her tongue. It's the sound he makes when she greets him at her door wearing nothing but a silk robe, or when she runs her nails along the skin of his lower back like she's doing now.

It's the sound he makes when his control is about to snap.

It spurs her on and she brings her hands up to the first button of his shirt. With practiced fingers she slides the disk through its hole before moving on to the second one, her movements efficient and sure.

She releases his mouth and lowers her eyes to follow the progress of her fingers. His chest is heaving in time with his heavy breaths, in time with hers. As more and more of his skin is revealed, she leans forward, longing for the taste of him. Only to be stopped by his hands covering hers.

 _No._

She shakes his hands off and continues the task more determined than before. If she could just get his shirt off-

"Kate, hey, slow down. I want to talk," he says, capturing her hands again and she closes her eyes to ward off the wave of emotions she can feel rushing to the surface. One of his hands appears under her chin, urging her to look at him, but she keeps her head down. She's always been good at hiding her true feelings - from everyone but him. Somehow, right from the beginning, he's been able to read her. She can't let him see what's written in her eyes now, because then he'd know she's broken the rules.

That she's fallen in love with him.

She wasn't supposed to, didn't think it was possible. She isn't sure how or when it happened, but Castle has managed to find a way over her carefully built wall. He's the first guy to succeed, and he might be the last one.

But now he'll never find out.

"Talk later. Right now, I need you naked and in me," she growls, knowing just what her words do to him. If she doesn't let him talk, he can't tell her that he's leaving, that tonight is their last one. If they don't talk, she can pretend this is just like any other night.

If tonight is their last night, she _needs_ this one last happy memory of them together.

This time, when she brushes his hands away, he doesn't try to stop her. Instead, he slides his hand around her waist and lowers his mouth to hers, as he begins backing the familiar route to his bedroom.

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"I got the official offer," he says later, breaking the peaceful quiet of the afterglow and setting her heart drumming again.

"Oh," is all she can get out past the lump in her throat. "That's great," she finally manages to continue, not moving her head from its position on his chest. She can't bear to see the happiness shining in his eyes.

And he can't see how her eyes shine with unshed tears.

"Yeah, it is," he agrees absentmindedly. "But there's something I wanted to talk to you about." He sounds awkward, nervous, and she doesn't blame him. Breakups are never easy. Although she's not sure if friends with benefits can break up.

"They offered me a chance to shadow someone at the MI6 for a year. You know, for authenticity reasons," he explains and she tries to focus on the deep rumble of his voice instead of the words, tries to memorize the feeling of his fingers playing with her hair instead of the fist around her heart.

She squeezes her eyes shut, but there's no stopping the tears. She can feel one breaking past the barriers of her lids and rolling down by her nose.

She needs to leave. Now.

"I should go," she mutters, keeping her face turned away, as she lifts up from his chest and scoots to the edge of the bed. Her clothes are strewn around the room, but her underwear has thankfully landed close by. Nothing more humiliating than having to traipse naked around the apartment, looking for your panties, after being dumped.

She's reaching for the scrap of lace on the floor when his hand closes around her other arm.

"Please, Kate. I need to say this before I leave," he pleads and she bites down on her lip to keep the sob at bay. Damn him and his need to cut all the strings. Can't he just let her leave with at least one corner of her heart intact?

"I'll be gone for a year, and… Well, I wanted to know if…" he stumbles with his words and she wants to yell to get it over with. But she won't. She refuses to be that girl, the girl who makes a scene over a minor breakup. So she keeps sitting at the edge of the bed, staring down at the black thong in her hand - one of his favorites. She wonders when she'll be able to wear them again without being assaulted by the images of him pulling them off with his teeth.

"Will you wait for me?"

Her head snaps up and around so quick she's sure her neck will hurt the next day. But right now it doesn't matter. Nothing else matters except the man sitting in front of her.

 _What?_ "What?"

"I know, I know. We said 'no feelings' and I have no right to ask, but Beckett…" he breaks off, hanging his head and she'd urge him on if she could form any words beyond the _what?_ that keeps playing on an all-consuming loop in her brain.

When he lifts his head and locks his eyes with hers she's struck by their color - the deepest blue she's ever seen. "Kate, I'm in love with you. And I-"

He gets no further before she lunges at him and swallows the rest of his sentence, knocking him off balance. He falls on his back and she follows, landing on top of him, keeping their lips connected. Her hands begin their dance over his skin again, but this time there are no scratches left from her nails when she runs her fingers across his chest, no tugging when her hands card through his hair.

Her touch is gentle, soft, as the sigh she releases into his mouth.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'," he laughs - a breathless chuckle she'll never get tired of hearing - when they break the kiss for air.

"I thought you were breaking up with me," she accuses and swats at his chest. "I thought this was our last night," her voice breaks at the end and she curses when her eyes well up with tears again.

But he simply smiles gently and brushes away the lone drop that escapes.

"Definitely not the last. You can't get rid of me that easily," he reassures her, managing to erase all the lingering sadness with that one sentence.

And when he covers her body with his, declaring that the only way to imprint her into his memory is to kiss every single inch of her body, her laughter sounds different to her ears. It carries a note she hasn't heard in a long time.

True happiness.

 **End.**

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Twitter: tuulip  
Tumblr: thetuulip


	2. That Con Experience

**A/N: The pic that inspired this little future ficlet can be found on my Twitter and Tumblr pages.**

 **Disclaimer: Don't own them.**

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"It was nice to meet you, Janet," he said, closing the cover on his signature and sliding the book back to the young woman. He hoped his smile didn't come off too strained at the blonde's sighed claim that she was his biggest fan.

If he had a dollar every time he heard that phrase, he'd be… even richer.

Besides, only one person had the right to that status and she was currently at home.

When the success of the Nikki graphic novel had secured him a spot at the New York Comic Con, he'd been excited. Mostly because it meant he could return to the Con with Kate without her having to hide her geekiness. He'd imagined how she would explore the floor for the few hours he was signing books, or maybe she'd want to stand next to him to ward off the most eager fans.

As he scanned the crowd, his heart leapt when he caught a glimpse of the familiar Nebula 9 uniform, before his brain reminded him that it couldn't be his wife. She'd been so tired lately, so they'd agreed that the hectic convention center wasn't the right place to rest on her day off. They'd agreed, but it didn't mean he wasn't bored without her.

Making sure there were no fans headed his way, he fished out his phone and dialled Kate's number. He kept his eyes trained on the side door while he listened to the rings. He'd already received Gina's _no phones while you're working Rick_ speech once and he didn't want a repeat performance.

The call connected and he smiled, the prospect of hearing her voice enough to cheer him up.

" _Hi. You've reached the voicemail of Captain Beckett. Please, lea-"_

She'd screened his call.

He stared at his phone, waiting to see if she would call him back, hoping she'd hung up by accident. He wracked his brain for a reason why she'd be mad at him, but came up empty. Everything had been fine when he'd left that morning. But then again, it seemed the smallest things could set her off lately.

He was still frowning at his phone when something barrelled into his legs.

"'M your biggie fan!" His frown melted away at the cheery voice and his smile only widened when he looked down at the beaming face of his daughter.

"You are? You don't seem that big to me," he teased, hoisting her into his arms. "But you sure are my _hairiest_ fan."

"I'm Chew-cca," Lily informed him proudly.

"You're the prettiest Chewbacca I've ever seen."

"Not pretty," she scoffed. "I'm a warr-er. Just like Mama."

"Is that so?" he asked and received a solemn nod, her pigtails bouncing with the movement. "Is she just as hairy too?" he asked in a loud, shocked whisper, turning his attention to the woman in question when Lily dissolved into giggles.

He took one look at Kate — the white gown, the fake gun at her belt and her hair in two braided buns — and his grin turned cheeky.

"Your Highness." He bowed deep, causing Lily to squeal in delight as she clung to his neck, and rose just in time to see the remnants of Kate's eyeroll.

"I tried to call you," he said before greeting her with a brief kiss.

"I know. The background noise would've given us away and I didn't want to ruin the surprise."

"The best kind of surprise," he assured, pecking her lips once more. "And I love the costumes. Although I'm a little disappointed Lieutenant Chloe isn't here today."

Kate scoffed at his wiggling eyebrows and smoothed her hand over the loose fabric. "Considering how tight that outfit is, I thought this would be more appropriate," she said referring to her barely-noticeable baby bump.

He huffed. "You would've looked perfect and you look perfect now. Am I right or am I right?" he asked their daughter.

"You are _right_ ," the girl grinned at him before turning her hazel eyes to her mother. "Eewos now?"

They both chuckled at the sudden change of topic and Kate reached out to gently flick at Lily's painted nose. "Yes Baby. We can go see the Ewoks now."

"I see how it is," he said with an exaggerated pout, as he tightened his arms around the squirming girl. "I guess you love the Ewoks more than me," he fake sobbed, as Lily stopped wriggling and giggled at his expression.

"No, silly. I love you the biggest. You're my favoritest Daddy!" she exclaimed, pressing her laughing face against his cheek for a sloppy kiss.

"And you're my favorite Chewbacca," he returned the sentiment and placed an equally loud smooch on her cheek, before lowering her down. Kate only just managed to snatch a hold of one small hand before Lily ran off in search of her furry friends.

"You'll stay awhile? I shouldn't be more than an hour," he said, glancing at his watch before lifting his fingers to brush against one of the buns as she nodded. "I really like the outfit."

"I'm glad you do. And just so you know…" Her smile turned seductive and he found himself leaning in closer as she lowered her voice to continue. "When I bought these online, I also ordered a certain... gold... bikini."

She coupled the last word with a quick flick of her gaze to his lips and back up and there was nothing he could do to stop the whimper that escaped.

"I'll see you later, Castle," she whispered, brushing her lips against his before giving in to the pull of the small hand in hers.

"Forty-five minutes. Tops!" he yelled, as he watched his wife being dragged away by a tiny but determined Chewie.

Cheered up by the surprise visit, his smile was genuine as he picked up his pen and greeted the group of women heading his way. And as he opened the first book to sign, he reminded himself to google _stormtrooper costumes for babies_ later.

Never too early to begin preparing for the next year's con.

 **End.**

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Twitter: tuulip  
Tumblr: thetuulip


	3. Picture of You

**A/N:** This silly little ficlet is a fill for an old prompt on the castlefanficprompts blog. The story takes place around mid-season 5. Happy Castle Fanfic Monday, everyone! :D

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own them.

 **Prompt:** Castle finds out about Kate's modelling days but Kate doesn't know he knows. She finds out when he has it as his phone background.

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"Kate, can you call my cell?" he yells from the office, shifting papers on his desk and checking the drawers.

"Call your- Castle!" comes his girlfriend's frustrated reply from the living room. "I know you don't like that I'm reading Patterson's newest, but really…"

"Your suspicion wounds me, Detective. I just can't find my phone," he says, letting her see his pout through the gaps in the bookcase and catching her answering eyeroll as she reaches for her phone.

Okay, so her accusation isn't completely unfounded. He might have tried to distract her from the book at the beginning, only to have the path of his wandering hands firmly blocked.

But that was over an hour ago and he's been writing ever since, letting her read in peace. He deserves a game of Angry Birds.

As soon as he finds his phone.

"I swear if this is just you trying to get me to have phone sex—"

"Hold that thought. I think I can hear it," he cuts her off, following the muffled ringtone to the bedroom. Only to find the sound weakening as he crosses the threshold.

"I think it's coming from here." His eyes widen at her words and he rushes back through the office, arriving just in time to see her moving one of the pillows on the couch.

He skids to a stop near the doorway, a safe distance away, and can only watch in horror as she lifts his phone. There's nothing he can do now. Nothing to prevent her from seeing—

"Castle..." She doesn't yell, though he almost wishes she would. Yelling would be so much easier to handle than the calculated calmness.

"What is this?" she questions, holding out his phone so he can clearly see the picture lighting up the screen. The picture of a young — adorable — Kate posing for an ad.

He swallows.

"The most beautiful woman on earth?" he tries, although he knows it won't work with her. It rarely does.

"Oh no," she shakes her head. "You can't sweet talk your way out of this one, Castle."

Her expression portrays the same calmness as her voice, her movements just as controlled when she rises from the couch.

He takes a step back.

She follows.

"Where did you get this?"

"Um…" he stalls. "I don't remember?" Another step back for him, another forward for her.

His shoulder collides with the doorframe and she takes advantage of his momentary confusion by quickly crowding into his personal space.

"You don't remember?" She crosses her arms, still inching closer, and he can't think when she's so close.

"Yeah. It, uh… It was a while ago," he stammers. "I think I found it on Google. Yeah, that's it! I googled it." Impressed with his ability to think under her stare, he latches onto the explanation. But she still doesn't look convinced.

"The guys sent it to you, didn't they?"

They're standing toe-to-toe now, her crossed arms brushing against his chest as she breathes, her narrowed eyes unwavering as they hold his. So intimidating and _hot_ at the same time. He doesn't stand a chance.

"Yeah," he sighs and a triumphant smirk flickers across her lips at his quick confession.

"I see…" Kate hums. "Now, if you'll excuse me, there's an email I need to send."

He swallows audibly. "You're not going to tell them I caved, are you?" he asks when she fetches her phone from the couch.

"And have them make fun of you?" she asks, pausing in her typing to look at him. "I want to _punish_ them, not _reward_ them." She smirks at him and he groans. For a moment he'd believed she actually cared. How silly of him.

"Then what—"

"Lanie sent me a pic once and I saved it just for a moment like this," she explains, still typing, and he inches closer.

"I don't get what a photo of Lanie has to— Whoa! Look at that mustache!" he chokes out on a laugh when he sees the screen.

"Not of Lanie, but of Espo," she corrects needlessly. "A photo that just got sent to the entire staff of the 12th."

She looks so proud of herself and he can't help but brush his lips against her smug smile.

"Have I ever told you how much I adore this evil side of you?"

"I'm glad to hear that." Her voice drops to a dark husk, his blood rushing south as she presses her body against his and rises on her tiptoes to nip at his lower lip. "Why don't you go get the handcuffs ready while I get the ice. It's time for _your_ punishment."

 **End.**

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Twitter: tuulip  
Tumblr: thetuulip


	4. A Million Reasons

**A/N:** Inspired by Lady Gaga's "A Million Reasons" and there's also some Damien Rice's "Delicate" in there (if you squint really hard). The story takes place right before the beginning of 4x20 "The Limey". Katherine, you were an awesome beta! :)

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 **A Million Reasons**

"Oh, Castle. Hi?" The question was obvious in her voice when she opened her door, as obvious as the wariness in her eyes.

He couldn't blame her. Not after he'd screened her calls and left her messages unanswered since the bombing case.

"Can I come in?"

He could sense the second of hesitation before she stepped aside to let him through, and he closed the door behind him. He thought her pause was because of his recent behavior until he walked by her kitchen, the two glasses and the bottle of red on the table stopping him in his tracks.

She was expecting company.

His fingers curled into fists at his sides as anger and jealousy coursed in his veins, burning all of his doubts from earlier in their wake.

"I'm leaving," he snapped, keeping his back to her. He was an idiot. Not just for waiting, but for thinking that if he would let her explain, then she could fix it. Hoping that she would give him the reason to stay. _Idiot_.

"Leaving?" she asked with a surprised chuckle that had him whirling around. "But... you just go-" The words died on her lips, her eyes widening as they connected with his furious look.

"Where?" she blurted, looking and sounding as blindsided as he'd felt for the past few days. The thought caused a small tug of satisfaction that had him biting back a smirk.

"Vegas, for starters," he said with a dry laugh. "It's been a while and I could use some fu—"

"Why?"

A million reasons, he wanted to say, but only shook his head. "I can't do this anymore, Kate."

"I don't… You can't _leave_ ," she frowned and wrapped her arms around her middle, rebuilding her walls in front of his eyes.

"Why the hell not?" he all but spat the question. She couldn't possibly expect him to continue following her, to be content to watch from the sidelines, as she moved on with some other guy. Again.

"You're my partner, my friend."

" _Friends,_ " he scoffed. "Is that what we are? Really?"

Her eyes flashed at his mocking tone but she didn't comment, answering his question with a simple nod.

"And what about Nikki?"

He almost laughed at the absurdity of her question. Talk about grasping at straws. "I'd written over twenty books before I met you. This hasn't been about Nikki for a long time. You _know_ how I feel about you."

The tone of his voice left no doubt that her secret was out. She lowered her gaze, lifting a hand to tuck an errant lock of hair behind her ear, as he watched her search for words.

"I thought…" she began after a moment of silence. "I mean, when we… after the bank."

Squeezing his eyes closed at the reminder of the one life-affirming night they'd shared, he wondered briefly if there would ever be a time when he wouldn't remember. A time when he wouldn't taste the heady passion of their kisses or hear the way her breath caught when he'd slid into her. If he would ever be able to fall asleep without the image of her in his arms haunting him.

He wondered if the memory would ever stop hurting.

"You left, Kate," he said, not even trying to conceal the pain in his voice. "Sneaked off in the middle of the night like some meaningless one night stand. And the next day you acted like nothing had happened. What was I supposed to think?"

"I wasn't ready."

He glanced at the glasses on the table and shook his head, the fresh stab of jealousy feeding his anger.

"Will you ever be?" He ran a hand through his hair, but it wasn't enough. He needed to move, to work off some of the tension, so he began to pace. Just a few steps back and forth to keep his head from exploding. "Or are you just stringing me along because you're used to having me around?"

"That's not fair," she frowned, crossing her arms as her eyes followed his movements.

"You're one to talk," he scoffed. "I won't sit around and watch while you flaunt yet another boyfriend in my face."

"Another… That's—" Her explanation got interrupted by the three sharp knocks on her door.

"Speak of the devil," he muttered. Just when he'd thought the night couldn't get any worse. "I'll just let him in on my way out," he said, striding towards the door.

Keeping his eyes firmly on the door as he walked past her, he didn't see her reaching out and the hand closing around his wrist caught him by surprise. He tried to shake her off, but her grip remained firm.

"Beckett," he sighed, still refusing to face her, as weariness replaced some of his anger. Why couldn't she just let him go?

"I love you."

A new series of knocks accompanied her words, but he ignored the sound. He couldn't concentrate on anything else but her, her hand holding onto him, her words ringing in his ears. When he turned around, she was staring at him with tears in her eyes, standing completely still. Waiting.

"What?" was all he could utter and he closed his eyes in frustration as a single tear made its way down her cheek. He'd been certain — absolutely, completely sure — he would never hear those words from her, and going from resignation to anger to hope so fast left him reeling. Speechless. He hadn't meant to make her cry.

But when he opened his eyes, she was smiling as she wiped at her cheek with her free hand.

"I lo—" The happiness shining in her eyes told him more than any words could and he closed the distance between them before she could finish.

She tasted as sweet as he'd remembered, the small moan she let out when he nipped at her lip just as intoxicating as the first time he'd heard it. And the way her arms wound around his shoulders, holding on tight as she balanced on her tiptoes to gain better access to his mouth, felt natural. Like she did it every day.

He was torn between keeping her body flush against his and pulling back to watch her reaction as his hand snuck under her shirt to explore the skin of her back, when the knocks echoed in the apartment again.

"I have to get that," she mumbled in between kisses, trying to disentangle from him. In the end they shuffled together towards the door when he refused to let her go.

"They'll go away" he countered as he trapped her against the door with his body, hoping the resulting thud would send a clear message to the visitor. He wasn't giving up without a fight.

"No, uh… It's, _shit_ … It's Lanie," she managed to get out, angling her head back when he trailed his lips down the side of her neck. "Plans. We had... _oh._ " Her moan was downright sinful and he switched to the other side, determined to rediscover every spot that made her let out that sound.

His quest was interrupted by the sharp rap of knuckles against the door, followed by Lanie's muffled voice calling out to Kate, and he buried his groan into her skin. Needing one more taste, he gave the tendon at her neck a final nip before heeding the push of her palms against his shoulders and retreating to a more respectable distance.

He watched in amusement as Kate raked her hands through her hair and straightened her clothes, but quickly schooled his features when she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Look normal," she warned, grasping the doorknob. "If that's even possible for you," she added, ignoring his affronted scoff as she yanked the door open.

"Finally! I was star—"

Even without seeing the way her eyes widened, he could tell the exact moment Lanie noticed the flush on Kate's skin, her still tousled hair, and added those pieces of evidence to the noises she must have heard through the door. And when the M.E.'s keen eyes locked on him — standing close behind Kate, with his clothes and hair in various states of rumpled — he knew that any act of nonchalance was futile.

"Lanie, hi!" Kate said with forced cheer and an awkward wave of her hand, trying to bring her friend's attention back to her. "I… Castle was just… We were, um… "

"Busy?" Lanie asked smirking, her gaze flicking between them. "I can see that. I guess our girls' night has been postponed."

"Lanie," Kate sighed, and his lips curled at the eyeroll he could imagine came with it.

"No, no. I _totally_ understand," Lanie rushed to say, already reaching for the doorknob. "You just… carry on and we'll talk details later," she added with a wink as she retreated and pulled the door closed behind herself.

Silence descended into the apartment as they stood like that for what felt like minutes, Kate staring at the door, him staring at her. Lanie's visit might have been quick, but it had broken the moment and he didn't know where that left them.

Did she want to continue? Did she want to talk?

Did she want him to leave?

"So…" he began, with no idea how to continue.

"So..." she echoed as she turned. "That was awkward." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, not really looking at him, but a small smile was dancing at the corners of her lips.

"So…" he began again, encouraged by that smile. "What do you want to do next?"

"I don't know." One shoulder lifted in a shrug as she crossed the few feet separating them. "We could read." She reached out to toy with the top button of his shirt with one hand while the other made its way down to lace her fingers with his.

"We could, uh… watch some TV." Stringing a sentence together became a challenge when the button gave away and her fingers slipped beneath the fabric of his shirt.

"We could get something to eat." She took a step back, then another, and he followed without resistance as she led him past the kitchen towards her bedroom.

"I could definitely nibble on something."

 **End.**

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 **A/N 2:** Hope you have that cake ready, Lou, because HAPPY BIRTHDAY! (Two months late, I know. *hangs head in shame*)


	5. Carry Your Wife

**A/N:** Something silly and short. You can thank Dia for bringing up the race until I got inspired to write something. ;)

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Castle. But I do live in the country that comes up with races like this. (Yes, it's really a thing over here.)

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 **Carry Your Wife**

"You signed us up for what?" Kate asked, turning from the view to gape at her husband.

"A wife carrying race," Castle repeated, his grin threatening to widen into the over-eager territory.

"Okay, so I didn't mishear you the first time," she muttered, lifting her hand to pinch the bridge of her nose. "And here I thought you wanted to come to Finland for our honeymoon to make it _our_ place."

"That was my original thought, I swear," he was quick to assure, as he walked over and placed his hands on her hips. "But then, one day, I was on YouTube and..."

"You mean the day when you stayed home 'to catch up on your writing'?" She grinned when he tried - and failed - to look innocent.

" _And…"_ he continued, "I found this BBC clip about the race."

"And instead of thinking 'Hey, let's go watch that' _,_ " she imitated him, as she crossed her arms, "you signed us up. Why exactly?"

"Well, you are my wife." A smile broke through, and despite her irritation, she unfolded her arms to wrap them around his middle.

"And I've been known to carry you from time to time."

She rolled her eyes at his dancing eyebrows. "Yes, a few feet at a time. Mostly to our bed. Somehow I doubt that's all there is to this race."

"It does require a bit more, yes," he admitted, then rushed to continue. "But it's the World Championships! We could become World Champions, Kate!"

"Which just happens to be one of your bucket list items." He really needed to work on his innocent look.

"So? Can we do it?" It was unfair how adorable he was when he got excited.

"Yes, Castle," she sighed in mock annoyance. "You can carry me all the way to the podium."

He let out a whoop, causing the laughter she'd been fighting back to bubble up. "You'll love it!"

"Sure. Is that why you didn't tell me until after we'd flown to Finland, checked into our hotel and finished unpacking?" she raised her eyebrow.

"Instead of insignificant details like that, I think we should focus on practicing," he said, his fingers nudging their way under her shirt.

"Is that so?" The flanell was soft under her fingers as her hands traveled up to his shoulders.

"I mean, we have World Championships coming up in a few days. Can't go in unprepared." With that, he scooped her into his arms and raced to the bedroom of their suite.

* * *

"Castle," she hissed three days later at the competition center. "They gave me a helmet."

"Yes?"

"Why do I need a helmet for a simple piggyback race across the field?"

"Okay, don't get mad…" he began and she closed her eyes. "There might be a few obstacles on the track."

"I knew I shouldn't have trusted you. I should have googled it," she shook her head.

"It's not…"

"Show me," she interrupted, holding out her hand.

"Beckett…"

"Show me. Now, or I swear I'll…"

"Okay, okay!" He handed his phone over and waited in silence while she watched the clip.

"Kate?" he started, once it was over.

"No."

"But…"

"If you think I'm going to hang upside down on your back while you race through water and sand and climb over obstacles, you're out of your mind," she growled, ending her speech with a poke to his chest.

"That's just one strategy," he tried to mollify, rubbing his chest. "Although, it seems to be the most successful…"

"Castle…" she began in warning.

"Is that Perlmutter?"

The total 180 in the subject threw her for a moment, but she was quick to regain her footing. "That has to be the worst distraction tactic…"

"Detective Beckett, fake-detective Castle."

There was no mistaking the voice, the slightly bored tone, as she turned to face the M.E.

"Perlmutter. What… You're racing?" she asked, after noticing the racing bib attached to his shirt.

"Of course I am," Perlmutter sighed. "Why else would I be here, in the middle of nowhere, getting eaten alive by mosquitos?"

"Just didn't know you had a…" _human wife_ , she almost said, but caught herself just in time. "A competitive side."

"For your information, my wife and I have placed second for the past three years. But this is our year," the M.E. said confidently, before switching his attention to Castle. "Apparently they have added a clown league this year." With that, he turned on his heels and walked away, leaving the others no time to reply.

After Perlmutter had disappeared into the crowd, Castle turned to her.

"It's okay if you don't want…"

"Come on, Castle," she cut him off, placing the helmet on her head and giving him a nudge towards the starting area. "Let's go kick some M.E. ass."

 **End.**


End file.
